Installation for manufacturing block bags



Och 1969 L. VAN DER MEULEN 3,473,445

INSTALLATION FOR MANUFACTURING BLOCK BAGS Filed May 13, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 21, 1969 VAN DER MEULEN 3,473,445

INSTALLATION FOR MANUFACTURING BLOCK BAGS Filed May 13, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet United States Patent 11.8. Cl. 93-26 4 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLQSURE An installation for manufacturing glued block bags fromtubular foil material. The inner side of the tubular foil is guided overa tube the opening member where it is provided with a cross cut. Carriermembers spaced apart and moving in a closed circuit of a bag etc. Duringthis transport auxiliary carrier members moving in a second circuit areplaced besides the carrier members so that at both sides of a tubularfoil supporting faces for performing treatment on the foil are present.Belts retain the longitudinal marginal portions of the tubular foilduring glueing and folding operations.

My invention relates to an installation for manufacturing block bagsand/or block bags provided with at least one valve.

Such devices are known for manufacturing paper bags. However, the devicerequires a flat foil web which about a folder is shaped into a tubularfoil which thereupon is moved past a number of folding means whereby thebottom quadrat is formed and the bottom label, if any, is applied forobtaining a plastic block bottom bag provided with a valve.

In this known device it is not possible to make apertures in a tubularfoil material, but this can exclusively be effected in flat foilmaterial. In the process of manufacturing plastic bags the startingpoint should, however, be tubular foil in which the required incisionsfor the formation of the bottom quadrat can be made.

Moreover, in these known devices it is not possible to provide a tubeshaped :foil part with two fiat bottoms in a consecutive order ofsuccession, since this can only be done by inverting the part alreadyprovided with a bottom.

It is now an object of my invention to provide an installation wherebyon the one hand the foil material is incised without starting from afiat foil web but contrary thereto from a tubular foil, and a compactinstallation allowing for the manufacture of block bottom bags in verycompact machines without inverting the foil parts and with which bags ofany desired size can be manufactured.

This object is attained according to my invention in the way that aninstallation for manufacturing block bags and/ or block bags providedwith at least one valve comprises at least feeding means, movablecarrier means for conveying foil material to stations where it receivestreatment, clamping means capable of cooperation with the carrier means,cutting means for incising the foil material, folding means forming abottom quadrat, folding means for folding the lateral marginal parts ofthe bottom quadrat, means for severing the tubular foil, glueing and/orsealing means, and, if desired, bottom label applying means, a tubeopening member retained with clearance between foil guiding members forinternally opening the tubular :foil and a foil incising member actingat the location of the member, auxiliary carrying members whichauxiliary members can be disposed beside carrier members. Preferably theclamping means are opice erative on the side areas of the carrier meansand auxiliary members over at least a part of the trajectory ofcooperation between the clamping means and the carrier means.

Due to these features an incision can be easily made in the foilmaterial, while on the other hand due to the placement of an auxiliarymember and a carrier member on either side of the foil material thereare always free supporting faces allowing to perform the various glueingand/ or sealing treatments while forming the flat bottom and/ or thefiat bottom provided with a valve. Due to the fact that the clampingmeans are exclusively operative along the edges of the foil material itbecomes possible to apply glue on the bottom parts without disturbingthe conveyance of the material. My invention provides essentially adevice with which it becomes possible for the first time to manufacturecontinuously fiat bottom bags.

According to a preferred embodiment the devices comprises also meansincising the tubular foil from the sides in a transverse direction.

The carrier members on a first circuit are conveniently composed of atleast two carrier member parts and an intermediate carrier member part.This supporting carrier member can serve to apply the valve label.

Provided on a second circuit are likewise the auxiliary carrying memberswhich are composed of at least two separated auxiliary member parts anda third auxiliary member part, the means for severing the tubular foilbeing active at the location of the location of the third auxiliarymember part.

The device is conveniently provided with suction members which areoperative in the area between successive carrier means.

Important advantages of the device according to my invention are:

(1) the surfaces of the foil material on which treatment should beperformed are all situated in one plane;

(2) the surfaces on which treatment should be performed are situated ata definite location in the device;

(3) operators are not required on either side of the device as in thecase of the conventional devices;

(4) it is not necessary to observe definite time schemes as to thesupply of the tubular pieces to be treated;

(5) in spite of the many treatments a compact machine suffices;

(6) bags can be manufactured at a fast rate, to wit at a rate of 50 bagsper minute which can be increased up to bags.

My invention will be clarified with reference to an embodiment of adevice for the manufacture of glued block bags provided with a valve. Itis obvious, however, that the invention is not limited to themanufacture of glued bags but covers also the application of definiteheatsealed joints in the process.

In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows diagrammatically a device for manufacturing glued blockbags comprising a valve;

FIGURE 2 represents the various stages of treatment of a block bag to bemanufactured from a tubular foil part;

An installation for manufacturing glued block bags from plastic foilmaterial comprises foil feeding means consisting of a feed roller 1 onwhich is disposed the thermoplastic tubular foil material 2 which bymeans of feed rollers 3 and guide rollers 4 is guided through two rollerpairs 5 and 6 situated one above the other. Between the roller pairs 5and 6 is a tube opening member in the shape of a frame or block 7 onwhich the plastic foil tube is guided so that the walls of the plastictube 2 no longer contact one another. Provided at the location of theframe 7 is a knife 8 which may be heated by which a. cross cut 9 can bemade in the wall of the tubular plastic foil, whereby when the materialis being incised, two edges are formed simultaneously which in FIGURE 2are denoted by 28 and 29. This cross cut 9 is only made on a part of thewidth of the folded plastic tubular foil. Guide rollers 10 and 11 areprovided for the further transport of the material.

The device further comprises a number of movably mounted carrier means12 which are secured on two movable chains 13, guided on rollers 14 anddriven by a motor (not shown) by means of a driving roller 15. Thesemeans constitute a first circuit.

A number of auxiliary carrying members 18 are mounted on two likewisemovable chains 16 which can be driven via a driving roller 17 by a motor(not shown) these auxiliary carrying members 18 constitute together withthe carrier means 12 supporting faces for performing treatment on thetubualr plastic foil 2. In order to obtain a definite length of the baga quantity of plastic foil material 2 is introduced in the shape of acurve 2a between two consecutive carriers 12, which egg. is effected bysuction.

The device comprises furthermore means for incising the tubular foilfrom the sides in a transverse direction, in the shape of a cutter 19which can cut through the material, disposed on a supporting face in theshape of a tubular plastic foil 2, on either side of the incision 9.Thus, the incision 20 indicated in FIGURE 2 is formed. Beyond the cutter19 are arranged movable clamping means in the form of belts 21 and 22retaining the material during the subsequent treatments in thelongitudinal marginal portions directly situated beside the lateraledges 23 and 24 of the plastic tube. Provided in this area is also abottom quadrat forming device in the shape of a tube unfolding memberconsisting of wedges 26 and 27 mounted on a belt by which means theedges 28 and 29, produced on the formation of the cross cut, are foldedback while forming triangular small pockets 30 and 30a and the bottomquadrats 56 and 57.

Beyond these unfolding members are provided the glue applying meansconsisting of a glue container 31 from which via a roller 32 glue istaken which via a roller 33 is applied to the bottom quadrat 57 in twoglue strips 34, 35 on the pockets 30 and a glue strip 36 in the vicinityof and parallel to the connecting marginal portion 37 of the tubularfoil existing between the bottom quadrats 56 and 57 after the bottomquadrat has been folded.

Provided beyond the glue applying roller 33 is a valve foil applyingdevice consisting of a valve foil supply package 38 from which the valvefoil material is passed via guide rollers 39 to a vacuum drum 40 dividedinto sectors. In this way block bags comprising a valve can bemanufactured, but bags without a valve may also be produced.

A cutter 41 is provided for cutting the valve label to the desired size.After severance the valve label 42 is taken along in the previouslydetermined shape to the supporting face where it is brought into contactwith the forwardly fed bottom quadrat 56 moving at the same speed as thedrum 40. When the drum comes into ocntact with one of the pockets 30aand the other foil material the vacuum is terminated and the valve labelfoil 42 is laid at a slight over-pressure on the bottom quadrat 56 ofthe tubular foil material whereby one of the glue strips 35 and a partof the glue strip 36 ensure the connection of label foil and bottomquadrat 56.

Next in the sequence is a second foil cutting knife 43 cutting throughthe still existing connecting marginal portion 37 between the bottomquadrats 56 and '57 so that a separate tubular bag part 61 is producedwith ends formed by the flat bottom quadrats 56 and 57. Depressingmembers 44 may be provided past the cutter 43 in order to press thebottom quadrats 56 and 57 situated on the supporting face into a cavityof the carrier members 12a and 12b, whereby the transverse marginalportions 46 and 46a, 46b, 46c, situated beside the folding lines 58.58a, 58b, 580, are produced. Next in the sequence is a folding mechanism47 folding the marginal portions 46, 46a, 46b, and 460 and comprising aroller 50 operable by an eccentric 48 and secured to an arm 49, theroller 50 being movable in the direction of conveyance to act upon amarginal portion 46a, an inclined counter plate 51 folding thetransverse marginal portion 46 over the marginal portion 46a and themarginal portions 46 and 46a being connected by glue. In order toreinforce this glued joint, a presser roller 52 is provided. Disposedbeyond presser roller 52 is a bottom label applying device consisting ofa foil supply package 53, a glue container 54 with a glue doctor roller55. A heated roller 57 cooperates with this glue doctor roller 55 andthe material of the supply package 53 is passed from *between the tworollers. Due to the roller 57a or heated air a large part of thesolvents in the glue evaporate, so that the foil material of the supplypackage 53 on moving from between the rollers 55 and 57a is providedwith a fast adhering glue. Via guide rollers 56:: and the heated roller57a the foil material arrives at a second vacuum drum 59 in front ofwhich is a cutter 59a. This cutter 59a serves the foil material to thelength desired for the bottom label 60 after the material has beenplaced on the second vacuum drum 59, whereupon this label 60 via thedrum 59 is disposed on the marginal portions 46 and 46:: which arealready folded over one the other. Due to the glue the bottom label 60will adhere well and constitute the final bottom.

The same treatment is performed on the bottom quadrat 57, the marginalportions 46b and 460 of which are likewise folded over one the other. Atubular bag part 61 is then obtained with a flat bottom 63, providedwith a valve 62, formed from a bottom quadrat 56 and a normal flatbottom 66 formed from a bottom quadrat 57. it is obvious that, ifdesired, when a valve strip 42 is omitted a bag can be formed with twoclosed flat bottoms whereby by severing the tubular bag part 61 twoblock bags open at one end can be obtained.

After the bottom has been placed, the carrier parts on the first circuit13 move off, whereupon the auxiliary carrying members on the secondcircuit 16 are removed.

The carrier members 12 are on the first circuit on endless chains 13while the auxiliary carrying members 18 are on the second circuit onendless chains 16. The carrier members consist preferably of carriermember parts 12a. 12b and an intermediate carrier member part in orderto prevent difiiculties during movement around guiding elements.

The auxiliary carrying members provided on the second circuit 16 consistlikewise of three parts, viz the auxiliary carrying member parts 18a,18b and a third carrying member part 18c. The foil severing means 43 aresituated in such a way that they are operative in the area of the thirdauxiliary carrying member part 18c.

The third carrier member part 12c is provided in such a way that it mayserve to dispose the valve label foil. Obviously operations can also becarried out in inversed order.

The bags are discharged via a mechanism which is not further discussed.

As mentioned hereinbefore the bags may be provided with welded jointsinstead of glued joints at definite locations.

My invention relates also to plastic bags obtained by means of theinstallation.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that changes and variations may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for manufacturing block bags having two block bottoms atleast one of which can be provided with a valve, said apparatuscomprising feeding means for advancing tubular foil in flattenedcondition, means for expanding the foil into opened form, first foilincising means for producing a cut in the expanded foil extendingtransversely with respect to the direction of movement of the foil,first spaced movable carrier means for conveying the thus cut tubularfoil, movable auxiliary carrier means placed between two successivefirst movable carrier means after delivery of the tubular foil betweentwo successive first movable carrier means, said auxiliary carrier meansbeing removed from between the first carrier means after formation ofthe bags, first foil cutting means for forming transverse slits in thetubular foil at both sides thereof in the plane of the cuts made by saidfirst foil incising means to leave a connecting fiat part in the foilmaterial, first and second clamping means cooperating with the firstcarrier means and the auxiliary means lying between same, first foldingmeans for forming bottom quadrats at both sides of the cuts and slitsrespectively formed by the first foil incising means and first foilcutting means, foil severing means in the region of the moving auxiliarycarrier means for severing the foil between successive bottom quadrats,means for folding flaps of a bottom quadrat inwardly, means forconnecting said folded flaps and means for applying a bottom label to atleast one of said flaps.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for connectingsaid folded flaps comprises glueing means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first folding meanscomprises an endless belt and wedges on said belt.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said label applying means isdisposed downstream of said severing means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,421 9/1933 Andreas 93-142,125,307 8/1938 Novick 9314 2,845,214 7/1958 Finke. 2,847,914 8/1958Davis 93-14 3,043,199 7/1962 Niemeyer. 3,172,342 3/1965 Potdevin 93143,196,762 7/1965 Schmeltz 93-94 3,242,829 3/1966 White 93--94 3,266,3878/1966 Finke. 3,366,018 1/1968 Civitello 9333 X 3,395,064 7/1968Schmermund. 2,333,440 11/1943 Potdevin 93--33 X 3,195,424 7/1965Camerini 9333 X 3,279,330 10/1966 Harding. 3,345,919 10/1967 Kasting.3,397,622 8/1968 Goodwin.

WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

